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Background

VENEZUELA: MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN STATES AND THE CARTER CENTER

Caracas-Since last November, the Mission of the Organization of the American States (OAS) and The Carter Center have been observing the process of verification and validation of signatures that the National Electoral Council is implementing to determine the possibility of a recall referenda.

The presence of the OAS and The Carter Center in all of the stages has been continuous, exhaustive and thorough. During the collection of the signatures, more than 50 international observers visited over 40 percent of the collection centers, directly witnessing the democratic and public spirit demonstrated by all Venezuelans. In the current signature verification and validation process, the O.A.S. is monitoring the CNE in each of the technical stages, including 24-hour observation in the physical verification, data entry, quality control, and technical review. This has enabled detailed knowledge of each stage. The Carter Center has been performing a complimentary observation through the presence of full-time observers in the Superior Technical committee and an analysis of a random sample of the data from all the verification stages to compare against the results.

During the observation of this process, the OAS and The Carter Center have detected technical and administrative defects, due largely to the novel nature and complexity of the process. Problems have been noted during the physical verification of signature collection forms (planillas), and during the initial days of the work of the second-level review Technical Committee, which was overwhelmed by the large volume of problem signature forms sent to it. The OAS and The Carter Center welcome the announcement of a date for completion of the process—Feb. 28. We urge the CNE to release a timeline of the steps to reach that date, and emphasize the importance of meeting that deadline.

The criteria of international observation recognizes simultaneously the principles of transparency contained in the control mechanisms to avoid a possible fraud, as well as the inalienable rights of citizen participation that must be guaranteed by the Electoral Power. As President Carter said two weeks ago, the sovereign expression of the citizen must be privileged over excessive technicalities.

The OAS and The Carter Center repeat the call that the CNE be provided the space to perform its duties without political pressure, but within the electoral law. Likewise, the citizens' will should be respected.

The OAS and The Carter Center reaffirm their confidence in the CNE and invite the actors involved, including the citizens, to express themselves, their demands and their concerns in a peaceful way, without physical intimidation to the CNE facilities or its employees, and within the legal framework of the process itself and country. In this way the current referenda process can end successfully, contributing to the strengthening of democratic institutions in Venezuela.

CONTACTS:
Javier Montes, OAS, 58-414-249-9554
[email protected]

Kay Torrance, The Carter Center, 404-420-5129, [email protected]

Reference: VE-0213E